EUV systems need light sources that are nearly 20 times more powerful than the ones used today to lay down patterns on next-generation chips that target sizes as small as 14 nm. Lithography experts said that they hope to have the 200W EUV light sources by 2014 — but it may take more time.

Researchers have improved the power of light sources 20-fold over the past three years. But they must make similar heroic improvements in the next two years before EUV is ready for production, said Kurt Ronse, IMEC’s director advanced lithography program. The group called for development of 500-1,000W EUV light sources by 2016.

As a result of the EUV delays “the [semiconductor] industry is no longer taking full steps, but implementing half nodes,” Ronse said. “They still call it 14 nm but it’s probably more like 16 or 17 nm,” he said.

For example, SRAM cells won’t get a full 50 percent shrink at 14 nm without EUV, Ronse said. That’s because multiple patterning has some limits in how closely it can place features.

Intel also recently said it expects to make 14-nm chips next year and could make 10-nm processors in 2015 using existing immersion lithography. Without EUV, Intel believes it will have to write as many as five immersion patterns on a chip which will take more time and money but is still economical.

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As I read the article (and some of the comments) I percieved a process design issue – you know time to change the system? I believe that since Intel will already be forced to re-engineer their fab process and machinery, that it would make better sense to add exposure elements to the system – in other words… you want brighter? Add more bulbs. Wouldn’t it be more efficient to increase the number of bulbs used in exposure and increase the etching efficiency and throughput ONCE – to 10 nm – rather than to go through pointless exercises of produce-standdown-upgrade-produce-etc.?

10nM feature etching is possible today. it’s all a matter of focusing the light onto a pattern. The brighter the light source, the larger the pattern that can be etched at one time. if a light source is dimmer than it takes several exposure patterns to complete one entire circuit layout. This takes additional time on the equipment for each chip so there is less throughput / yield from a fab.

“Without EUV, Intel believes it will have to write as many as five immersion patterns on a chip which will take more time and money but is still economical.” – which to me means they can, but not without great cost; a stop gap measure till they can use the real thing.

“Maybe now, quantum computing, neuromorphic engineering, and other novel computing techniques will get some of the big money spent on digital devices”… “huge amounts of money being thrown at quantum computing”

I assume you are referring to the recent $30 million investment in D-Wave? A tiny percentage of the billions spent on chip development and computers (and other digital devices). Will not meeting arbitrary marketing dates have serious impacts? I don’t know. And I don’t have data for spending on neuromorphic engineering, but it’s for R&D, so in the low millions and over many years. I don’t know of any studies predicting development of marketable devices based on speculative quantum and neuromorphic technologies in this decade. If you have better numbers and market research studies on this, I would greatly appreciate updates.